


Baby Duck

by LumpySpace



Category: Queens of the Stone Age
Genre: Attraction, F/M, Groupies, Nicknames, Random Encounters, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2016-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-13 05:29:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2138766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LumpySpace/pseuds/LumpySpace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh Homme is my forever crush, so I thought it fitting to write a little somethin, somethin. Josh acquires a nickname that sticks, discoveries are made, and nights are spent. </p>
<p>"When I went to sellout school, the first thing they taught me is you gotta be a PEOPLE-fucking-PERSON." ~ Josh Homme</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Name Calling

"I've gotta go!" I yelled over the pounding music.

"What?!" she yelled back leaning in to me with her drink still in hand.

"I'm going! I'll see you around."

She looked at me in confusion as I pulled one black cigarette from it's carton and stuck it between my lips.

"Ok!" she mouthed as she turned to dance with a group of girls that had formed.

I patted all my pockets as I walked towards the door to ensure I had everything. Finally. Some fresh air. I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my lighter and phone. Pulling up our messages, I typed the words  _It would be nice to talk sometime. So just call me or whatever,_ but quickly deleted it and slipped it back into my pocket. I struck the little flame and held it to the end of my cig, inhaling deeply. Fuck, I hated clubs. It was hot enough as it is - I didn't need to be packed on a dance floor with hundreds of other people. I don't know why I even bothered.  _  
_

My cherry red tank was sticking to me like a glove in the L.A. heat as I strolled down the boulevard that would eventually connect me to my neighbourhood. This strip had a lot of convenience stores, head shops and dark alleyways and though it was well trafficked, a girl never knew what to expect in this city. I wasn't expecting him. 

From ahead of me, I could just make out a tall, shadowy figure fast approaching me. As he got closer, I saw he had a full head of hair that was the colour of fire, but his eyes were concealed with big sunglasses. 

"Got a light?" 

His voice was husky and familiar. I reached to my back pocket and held it up to his cigarette. He paused as he inhaled and I could only assume he was looking at me. I was happy that my outfit was on point tonight: my black leather jacket, cherry tank, black skinny jeans and buckle boots. My lips were painted to match my top and my hair fell in black waves down my chest. There was a sense of urgency in his body language, so I stepped aside into the light of a store behind me. He proceeded ahead, blowing smoke behind him. 

"Thanks, Cherry." 

"Welcome, Baby Duck." I called after him. 

I watched him until he was no longer visible and proceeded on my way home, thinking about why I would possibly call him that. Eventually I concluded it was because Nat and I were drinking it before we went to the club. I stepped inside my familiar apartment and poured myself a glass of O.J. Just as I sat down, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. 

_Babe? Hide and seek, much?_

I sighed and stared at my screen. My thumbs hovered above the keyboard. This weird shit that I was putting myself through with Nat didn't seem worth it. I really loved her, but she wasn't into me. She was into the culture of it all, but not me. Christ. We haven't even had sex and it's been about 3 months now. Maybe it was time I stopped chasing women for awhile. Men at least still want to have sex with me. 

_Seek._ I typed back before padding off to bed. 

I woke up to the strong, warm light that filled my room. It was 12:15, which meant it was time to get up and do something. I quickly showered, ate and marched out of my apartment on my way to my favourite music store - Songbirds. I frequented it often and all of the staff knew me, mostly because I was a huge annoyance to them. Always asking about products I knew nothing about and wandering aimlessly just to admire everything they had. Today was different. I stepped in and found a crowd of people standing in a semi-circle around someone at the guitar wall. Weird. 

I tried to get in close to see who it was, but there was no hope. They were swarming whoever it was and I couldn't help but feel bad for him or her. I moved right along to the back of the store where the drums were. I loved running my fingers along the stretched material and softly  _tinging_ the symbols. Just then, a staff member was rushing past me to escorting a tall man out the back door. I couldn't get a good look at him, but I stopped him to ask who that man was as he was coming back towards me. 

"Mark. Hey, Mark. Who was that?" 

"Uhh. I don't know if I should tell you. He's kind of famous." he said looking down at me. 

"You're seriously not going to tell me?" I replied, scowling hard.

"WELL. Why don't you go outside and see for yourself? He's probably gone by now." 

I spun on my heel and made a B line for the door, practically running towards the back of the building. There was a man leaning against the store opposite Songbirds, smoking a cigarette and looking up at the sky. I glanced at him quickly, pulling a black cig out of it's pack and pressing it to my lips. I felt around my pockets for my lighter. Shit. I must have left it at home. 

"Need a light?" the man asked, sparking it before I touched my cig to it and stepped back to get a good look at him. 

He looked very similar to the man I crossed paths with last night. It would be weird if it was him - concerning even. I hope he's not a stalker that's knows all my local hangouts. 

"Were you just inside Songbirds? Mark said someone famous was in there." I asked as I exhaled. He looked very amused by my comment and smiled very wide to himself.

"Ya. It might have been me." 

"Who are you?" I scoffed as I looked down the alley. 

"Josh Homme."

I snapped my eyes to his face in a matter of a second. 

"Prove it." I demanded with a very sudden interest. There was no way he was Josh Homme. 

He laughed and clasped his cigarette between his pointer and middle finger to roll his blouse sleeves up, revealing forearm tattoos that looked exactly like Josh's. Woah. That's weird. 

"Loose the glasses." 

He flicked his nose with his thumb and smiled as he pushed them up off his face and onto his head. 

I had to push mine up too to see, but then I saw him. It really was him. Josh Homme, himself. My jaw fell open and I couldn't keep my eyes off him. 

"No fucking way..." 

"Yes." was all he said as he scanned our surroundings. 

Josh Homme was a hero of mine. I remember the first time I saw Queens of the Stone Age was on MuchMusic. I was just a little girl watching 'No one Knows' and I was hooked ever since. Granted, I wasn't a constant fan and these days Nat made me listen to all the shit on the radio so she could go out and dance to it at night, but I never forgot. 

"I think I lit your cig for you last night on my way home. You called me Cherry." I laughed. 

"Did you call me Baby Duck? I like it. It's sticking." 

There was no way this was happening. There was no way I was standing in the middle of an alleyway just having a casual conversation with one of the best rock musicians out there. There was no way I lit his cigarette for him and called him Baby Duck last night and now he wants to use it as a nickname. I refuse to believe it. 

"Can I give you a hug?" I asked politely. I was very conscious not to sound too much like an annoying fan. I just really wanted to hug this glorious creature. He stomped his cig out and leaned back again to flash me a delicious smile.

"Don't people usually hug when they say goodbye?" 


	2. Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, another day. I haven't forgotten about my beautiful baby duck!

Was that just an invitation to hang out? From Josh Homme? I have to be dreaming. This isn't real. He was moving ahead down the alley now and I darted after him. 

"You play?" 

I turned to see his perfect blue eyes on my face, observing me in a cool fashion. My face reverted to face the ground subconsciously, which was something it often did when I was either walking or in an uncomfortable position. 

"No. Nor will I ever. I just like to observe because I guess to me, they are like artifacts. When someone holds one in their hands, the story of their past is told through song. I admire them and maybe that makes me crazy. I don't know." 

"No, I think that's an incredible perspective." 

I looked up and found his eyes straight ahead of him now. Wandering in thought. 

"I mean, why give you all the credit? You're just the guy behind that wonderful work of art." I joked, kicking a rock out in front of us. 

My eyes found his face again. A very apparent smile was beginning to tuck up from the corners of his mouth. We walked and talked until we were standing in front of a grey slated bungalow nicely nestled between trees and shrubs. Although it was quaint, it truly was a beautiful home. 

"That's me," he said shyly. "Thanks for talkin, Cherry. You have a pretty mouth." he finished with a soft chuckle. 

"Can I have my fucking hug now?" 

His arms extended towards me and wrapped around my frame in such strength that he lifted me off the ground. I giggled nervously in response. He put me down and strode away, giving me a very sexy salute from over his shoulder.

"Am I going to see you again?" I blurted out to him and immediately cringed in embarrassment.

He chuckled in short and said "If it should happen that way, yes. But don't stalk me. There are alarms in this house and I hardly think you'd survive a week in jail."

I gave him a tight lipped reply and waved goodbye as he stepped in the door.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a slow night. I often found that when I was bored, I would subconsciously chew on my pen cap. It was a bad habit. My legs swung beneath me as I scanned the same boring fixture in front of me. The door dinged beside me and I looked over to see a middle-aged man in dirty construction clothes and a tired cap. His eyes were dull with exhaustion. Beneath all the years of wear and tear that was ever present on his face, you could tell he was once a very handsome man. Not so surprisingly, he didn't have a wedding band and somewhat brightened up when he saw that a moderately attractive young woman was lazing behind the desk. I curled my lips slightly at him, to which he returned the favour, and slumped away to his guilty pleasure before him. Working in a sex shop certainly brought variety. I didn't hate my job, but I wouldn't say it's the end all be all of my existence. This forever silence that filled the shop was something I'd become accustomed to. About 90% of the time, it's men who are so lonely that they stare incapacitated at the sight of women receiving a large pleasure stick on the covers of movies and magazines. The other 10% are young couples. And almost 100% of the time, the people were strange, perverted, and abrasive.

This particular night was a typical one. Men scattered the aisles in their zombie-sexed state. I checked the time and sighed; it's only 10:15. I had another 5 hours to go. Time began to blur together as I watched my co-worker Ian replenishing stock. On many occasions Ian had tried to get with me and there was nothing wrong with that. He was a nice enough guy. But he is a boring guy trying not to be boring. I wish I could've caught on camera the look on his face when I said I was with Nat. It was a hilarious mixture of excitement and disappointment. My thoughts were interrupted when I saw one of the creeps saunter his way up to the desk.

"Evening, ma'am." the scrawny Steve Bescemi look-alike said confidently as he lay his items before me.

I nodded at him as I began to scan his items in. I could feel his eyes scanning me - particularly the edge of my black webbed bra that peeked out the top of my emerald green shirt.

"You know who you look like?"

I shot him a look that should've told him to shut the fuck up, but he bravely continued on.

"You look like this girl I used to fuck. She was a beautiful dancer at a club in Denver where I used to live. Best sex I've ever had."

"Are you aware that when you make comparisons to actual people, your story is literally pointless? Why would I care if I look similar to one of the 6 other billion people on this planet?" I scoffed at him.

"Feisty, aren't ya?," he remarked with a chuckle. I glanced over his shoulder briefly to see Ian still putting away stock on the other end of the shop. If only he were here, he'd shut this customer up no problem. "My point was that you look like you'd be a good fucker."

Just then, the door dinged again, but I was so revolted that I couldn't face another slimy freak. It didn't seem to matter, however. His tall figured glided off to the side immediately with a popped collar that concealed his identity.

"...charming, aren't ya?" I thrashed back at him with a condescending smile. Ian was starting to make his way back to the desk, but all too slowly. I sighed as I shoved all the items into a large black bag.

"Anyway, would you want to grab a drink at some point?" He pushed, ignoring my insult. This put me in a really awkward position. I tried to delay the answer by searching for till tape in the cupboard below the desk. Hopefully Ian will get to the desk in time before I have to shut this customer down completely. As I pretended to scower the cupboard, I heard a deep voice boom from the other side of the desk, making me jump slightly.

"Back the fuck off, man. She doesn't need your shit."

There was a moment of dead silence before I heard the brave nasally voice speak up again.

"I was just trying to be friendly." the man replied. I crept back up to see him slightly shrunk within himself, but still running his mouth. The man that told him off was facing away from me, still concealed by his popped collar. This was now an ordeal - and it was only going to get worse as I caught Ian charging towards the two men, fuming,

"Too friendly, in my opinion," the tall man said, stepping closer to the customer. "Do we need to take this outside?"

Ian had finally reached them and opened his mouth wide in a demanding remark. I coward at the scene that began to unfold before me. "Excuse me, gentlemen! I'm going to have to ask you to leave at once!" Ian looked less and less relevant with each word he spewed. The faceless customer turned and looked down at him, chuckling in amusement.

"Are you the sad little manager of this establishment? I'm not leaving until this _dick_ right here apologizes to your employee here."

His head whipped over to look me dead in the face and I almost fainted. **Josh. Fucking. Homme.** What the actual fuck was he doing here?! In the same amount of time, his face revealed the same reaction I had.

"B-baby..duck..." I said in awe and could feel my face flush with embarrassment.

"Do you know this man?"

Josh stared at me with his icy blue eyes, bemused by how I would react in this circumstance. What an asshole...

"I...I-ahhh..." I began to say, rubbing the back of my neck. Everyone's eyes were on me and I could hardly function. "We've met briefly before, but I don't know him...per-say."

I could tell that in Ian's mind, he considered us fuck buddies from that very moment. His face turned the color of fire as he snapped his head towards Josh. Meanwhile, Josh is still staring with his shit eating grin and I found it very hard to remain composed. The hassler has now tried to move toward the door quietly, but is stopped by Josh's steady hand.  

"You're not going anywhere, bub." Josh said, turning back to the task at hand.

"Alright. Fine, man. Look. I'm sorry." the man replied reluctantly, slumping his shoulders. I nodded slightly and shoved the bag towards him. He grabbed it and ran out the door.

"What time are you off?" Josh asked me as he watched the man leave and finally resting again on my face.

"She doesn't need to tell you that!" Ian interjected, trying to appear intimidating again.

"Listen," Josh said shortly, looking down into the face of his pest, poking his tattooed finger against his chest sharply. "This is none of your business. Get out of my face."

I could see the gears in Ian's head turning as to whether or not to defend my honor, and he finally chose to step down, quietly making his way to the break room at the back of the shop.

"I'm off this morning."

"When?" he laughed, gesturing for more information.

"3...why?"

"I'll be waiting outside. See you then."

With one swift move, he was out the door and gone. My mouth hung open in dismay. The next 4.5 hours were going to be the longest ones of my life. But, they passed. I fixed my makeup quickly before closing up for the night. Ian left shortly after the incident because he felt "sick to his stomach". Just as well. I'm sure he would've had a fit if he'd seen Josh leaning against his black '67 Camaro the way he is now. Burrowing his eyes deep into the recesses of my heart. I held my breath and walked up to him slowly, feeling the L.A. air clouding around me. He drew a drag of his smoke and exhaled slowly. I watched his silhouette and wondered how I couldn't seem to get rid of this beautiful human being. We stood in silence for a few minutes before he whispered heavily.  

"Hello, stranger."


	3. Him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm such a loser, living out my own personal fantasies through fiction... Wait, where am I?
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

I stepped into his Camaro gingerly, mindful not to seem too eager to be sitting next to my  _literal_ hero. The black leather seats stuck to my bare legs deliciously - as if they were trying to seduce me into staying here forever. Everything about this man oozed with lust and I hated it. It's too easy for him. I lifted my purse off my shoulder and over my head so it sat on the floor beside my feet. Josh was still outside, walking around to his door after putting his smoke out. His expensive black boots entered first, followed by a cuffed jean leg and printed button down. Then finally, all of Josh. Him. I looked away out my side window quickly, as he started up the engine. 

_PUUUuuuurrrrrr....._

"Where to, Cherry?"

Dare I look over? I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna look deep in his eyes and remain composed - passive, even. Ok. Here goes. 

My breath caught in my lungs before I pushed it out slowly. My thighs pushed together as if someone had delivered a blow to my stomach. I let out an abrupt chuckle, before lifting my hand to the back of my neck in embarrassment. I don't know if I can do this. 

"How about nowhere?" I rebutted, this time staring him straight in his ocean recesses, guarded by long red lashes. The corner of his mouth turned up slightly. 

"And after nowhere?" he said, reaching for a piece of gum from the dashboard. I stared at his lips for a moment before mentally shaking myself back to life.

"Karaoke?"

"Nu-uh," He chuckled. "I know what you're plotting, miss. How about we pick up a pack of beer and run to the hills?"

I turned my eyebrow up, staring out the windshield. "I know what you're plotting, mister."

"What?" he said defensively, but also adorably. 

"I know the drill. You buy some wine, we get two glasses in and then you say 'Wouldn't this be nicer outside? Under the stars?', so we sit on the hood of your car, laughing, drinking, and then a little bit of kissing... which then leads to groping which leads to a quick fuck in the grass, you drive me home and say your goodbyes, promising to call... and then I never see you again. The end." I folded my arms over my stomach. My eyes fell to my lap as I tried to conceal some premeditative disappointment. 

"Jesus christ, what is with women? We haven't even left the parking lot."

"I know your type," I paused to take another breath. "And you know, it sucks because you're famous. I thought you'd be cool."

"Ok. Yes, I'm famous. But I'm not like that asshole in your shop. I'm not going to treat you like a piece of meat - especially because you never treated me that way. So can we stop overthinking this? I just want to enjoy your company."

His eyes met mine in a stare that was composed, but still struck me as contrived. He always looked like there was a hilarious joke only he knew about, but he couldn't tell anyone. The soul capturers drifted down to my lips and the nape of my neck briefly before settling back at my face as a whole. What the hell was that? I glanced away briefly, settling my hands between my thighs. We nodded at each other slightly before speeding off into the night. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you," I said after Josh handed me a chilled beer. I cracked it open with a painted nail and took a long sip. Fewer things were better than a cold beer on a hot summer night. "Do you ever think about what your life would've been like if you weren't famous?"

There was a long pause. "No, to be perfectly honest. I think things are meant to happen the way they are. But I sure as hell don't think I'm anymore important than anyone else. Nothing bothers me more than fuckers that just do it for fame." he sighed. 

"I have to-" I was interrupted by my phone buzzing in my jean pocket. I pulled it out and looked at it. Fuck. "..take this, apparently! I'll be right back."

I could feel his eyes on my back as I pranced away into the tall grass that surrounded the car. 

"Hello?"

"What the fuck?" her voice was sharp in my ear. This is going to be fun. 

"Nat, look, I'm sor-" I began, but was cut off by her rambling. She liked to ramble when she's either drunk or really mad. And I had a feeling there was a little of both going on. 

"Shut up. You've humiliated me too many times. Do you even still love me?" 

"Do YOU?" There was nothing but static between us. Filling empty space. "Nice. I didn't think so."

I glanced at the car again, only seeing the silhouette of Josh sprawled on top of the hood, beer resting on his stomach. 

"I just want to be with you without it being serious. I told you that when we first started seeing each other. You know what people say..."

"Well, it worked out for you then. We won't be serious. Ever. And we won't be together. So you've got what you've always wanted. I'm done pretending, Nat."

"But baby..." she whispered heavily. I knew what she was trying to do. 

"Look, I don't have time for this," I said glancing up at Josh again to make sure he wasn't listening in. "Call me when you're not drunk off your ass so I can shut this down once and for all."

I pulled the phone away from my ear and ended the call. Kicking the grass as I made my way back to the car, I jumped up and chugged the rest of my beer. 

"Where were we?" I said after letting out a huge belch. 

"Who was that?" he returned, ignoring my question completely. 

"Honestly, no one. Don't worry about it."

"Sounded like it was definitely someone." he replied, reaching for another beer and passing me another. My hand grazed his fingers, sending a shiver down my spine. 

I sighed. "Just... a stupid bitch that doesn't know what she wants. It's a good thing I know what I want."

"I'm sorry. That sucks," he stared at me. "I uhh..It's just that I didn't know you were into pussy."

I punched his arm hard enough for him to feel it. He rubbed his arm playfully and I stuck my tongue out at him. "Yes, well... We never had sex. Just for the record. But given the option, I would rather the D. Just thought she was kind of special. But I was wrong."

"The best revenge? Fuck her brains out. Really go for it. And then break up with her in front of all her friends."

"I'm not a sociopath, Josh." I chuckled. 

"OR! Better yet, we could both fuck her," he exclaimed, poking his elbow into my side. "And after we all get dressed and established, I will make you a margarita and seat you down on a really expensive thrown that I will hand carve out of mahogany and while you're just sitting there enjoying yourself, I will fight her to the death."

"Josh!" I laughed.

"What? I don't care. I'll fight a bitch ass girl." he teased as we both took a huge swig of beer. 

"Holy shit. That would make me an actual Queen of the Stone Age." I exclaimed drunkly. 

"NICE!" he agreed as we shared a high five. 

The air grew thicker around us, making it hot and cloudy. We sat staring at our faces that we couldn't make out in the dark. His cologne absorbed into the thick air around me, making me dizzy with lust. I wanted nothing more than to be on top of him right now, riding him until the cows come home. But those thoughts needed to be pushed away. I didn't want to fuck this up. I would rather be Josh's long time friend than his one night stand that he never sees again. But my gaze couldn't leave his face. Being close to him felt so incredibly perfect and right. I could feel his long legs stretching out in front of him as he was trying to close the distance between us. Swiftly, he grabbed my free hand within his and ever so tenderly brought it to his lips. Kissing the top of it, he slowly brought it down to rest within his as it lay on his lap. Ever so softly Josh whispered to me, to the dark night, what he couldn't conceal any longer...

" _My_ queen..." 

 


	4. Her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DANG.

I rubbed the top of my hand and peered into the darkness at Josh.

"What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything, Cherry," he said, sliding down the hood of his car. "What's wrong?" 

I must have imagined him kissing my hand. Or the beer was getting to me. My head was swarming. The shadows in the night began to sway like seaweed in the ocean and the salty water was welling in the back of my throat. 

"Woah, are you okay?" he asserted more seriously this time. 

I clambered off the side of the car, spewing foam in every direction. Tears pricked my eyes from the heaving. Within just a few seconds, he was beside me holding my long black hair back and rubbing my back. At the same time, my phone was buzzing against my thigh continuously. The grass dug into my hands and pain shot through my entire body before leaving my black. Completely black. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. But when I did, I moved so fast I can't even remember how we got home. But we did. There was no way I was dropping her at her place, in the dark, with no-one to look after her. Especially with that bitch ex-girlfriend harassing her. All these thoughts rushed through my mind so fast I could hardly keep up with them - I didn't know why they were there to begin with. I shouldn't care so much about her, but I guess I just need something to distract myself...

We arrived at my place with the closing purr of my car. I opened the door and flashed to her, scooping her up and carrying her up the steps. Her breathing was steady and deep, which was a good sign. Finally, I pushed the door open after fumbling with the key and holding Cherry. I practically sprinted to the couch where I carefully laid her down, elevated her head, and rested a blanket over her. She looked serene, despite the fact that she was either ill or this was some sort of pre-existing condition. After a few minutes of pacing in my quaint living room, I decided to settle in and wait for her to wake up. Every so ofter I pressed my palm to her forehead to make sure she was not running a fever. She wasn't. But god fucking dammit... what do I do? I desperately needed a distraction. Booze, check. Tv, check. Chinese food, almost check. 

After the Chinese food arrived, I settled down next to her in my favourite chair and waited, and waited, and waited for her to wake up. It seemed like 5 goddamn days, but in reality was only about 5 hours. And after about 5 beers, I desperately needed to pee. I glanced at her once again before shuffling to the bathroom.

When I came back, I heard a phone buzzing in the room violently. I patted my pockets to make sure it wasn't me. Nope. Was it really that stupid bitch, **AGAIN?** It was too hard to resist searching for her phone just so I could answer it and tell the cow off. I didn't realize how over the line it was until I realized I had thrown the blanket off her, was feeling every pocket until I found it, and finally pressing it to my ear. Cherry stirred slightly from my touch. Hopefully she'll wake up soon. But for now, I might as well have a little fun. 

"Yello." I said smartly into the receiver as I wandered down the hall. 

"Who's **_this_**?!" 

Wow. She definitely sounds like a bitch and I haven't even met her. 

"I really don't think thats any of your business, sweets." I rebutted. 

"Where is she? I need to talk to her. If you did something to her, I will beat the livin-" she began before I cut her off. 

"Shut the fuck up. She's fine. A helluva lot finer than if you were with her. She's told me some shit about you and let me tell **_you_** something... she's over you. She's in love with someone else." 

"Really? And who would that be?!"

I couldn't help it. I couldn't let this bitch get away with this again. 

"ME!" I screamed into the phone. "She loves me! And if you ever try to call her or touch her or even look at her again, I will personally hunt you down and kick your teeth down your throat."

"Are you threatening me?!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing. What are you going to do about it?" 

There was a long pause. I smirked to myself as I paced around my dark halls. Then... then it was as if I was completely powerless. In less than a second. 

"... ** _Josh_**?" she spat hatefully at me. 

I stood dead in my tracks, motionless by the sound of my own name. How? How did she know?! She didn't sound like she knew me before... why now? 

"Joshua Michael Ho-" she continued before I swiftly ended the call. 

What the fuck? 

I spun around only to crash right into Cherry. I stumbled back and immediately went to make sure she was okay, but she shoved me against the wall, pressing her elbow into my neck. 

"What are you doing?! Josh!" she screamed in my face. I didn't know someone could have this much strength after being passed out for the last 6 hours, but it took me by surprise.

"Ok, look, I'm sorry. I just noticed you were beginning to wake up and I didn't want you to deal with that anymore. I tried to handle it..."

She shot me such a dirty look, I felt I had shat myself. It was kind of hilarious. She stepped back from me now, and rested against the opposite wall in my pitch black hallway. 

She said nothing. Just stared at me in what I could only imagine was disbelief. But she was so alluring. So dark and angry, everything I could relate to. It made me want to rip her clothes off and press my body against her, **hard.**

"What can I do to make it up to you?" I whispered.

She shrugged and looked around. 

"How did I get here? Am I at your place?" she replied huskily, desperately trying to remember the last turn of events. 

"You passed out. Literally fell off my car and threw up everywhere. Then you just...passed out. I had to take you here so that you weren't alone."

"Oh..." was all she could manage at first. "Thanks. I have a condition. Sometimes I just pass out..." 

"Mmm" was all I said back.

We stood like this for a few minutes before she sighed. 

"Can I have my phone back?" 

"No. You can have it later this morning. You need to eat and get some sleep. We can re-group later and I'll give you it back."

"Josh, this feels very much like a babysitter situation and I'm not digging it. Give me my fucking phone back."

"I won't touch it. I'm just looking out for your best interests, sweets," wasting no time, I explained what was offered by means of food and bed. "There's some left over chinese food on the counter in the cookhouse. Eat it. Then there's a guest bedroom down the hall here. Just make yourself comfortable. I'll meet up with you later." I demanded. She said nothing. 

"Oh, and red, take care of yourself. Seriously. This was some Mia-Wallace-O.D.ing-on-the-carpet-Pulp-Fiction shit tonight and I'd rather not experience that again. Get some rest..." I said, turning to make my way to my room. 

I could practically feel her flipping me off over her shoulder and I laughed to myself. What a shitty night. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I awoke to a strong L.A. sun, radiating heat through the thick curtains onto my bed. The sheets felt like silk pressed against my bare legs. It was time to get up, but I didn't want to. It felt so comforting being here, completely wrapped in seduction. Josh was included in that package, even if he was kind of sticking his nose in my business. It was kind of nice.

I stretched on the edge of bed and bent over to gather up my things. After getting dressed, I strode to the door and out into the hallway. I could just barely make out the large stature of Josh standing in the living room staring at the TV. I approached him slowly, curious as to what he was watching so entranced like. 

He slowly looked to meet my eyes, with an expression that put the fear of God in me. His mouth fell slightly open and he stared bewildered at me. 

My eyes left his face abruptly, snapping to the TV. And I can't even begin to describe what I saw...

"Josh..."

 

 

 

 

 


	5. F Stop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ;)

My heart stood still for too long. I thought of all of things that I know about my life and they were suddenly changed. And I felt entombed, tight chested and used up...trapped. What was on the TV was a story like no other. It showed Josh and I in his car, both of us exposed and overexposed, and through the windshield lay a squinting fiery ghost and an unconscious edgy girl with her head pressed against the window. The unconscious edgy girl was me. 

My eyes drifted to the scrolling banner below the image and it read: HOMME; CAUGHT RED-HANDED WITH UNCONSCIOUS GIRL. WAS HE THE RACING RAPIST? There was also a live feed of comments pouring in from Twitter, Facebook, and basically any social media site you can image. Some saying things like "So this is how he's stepping back into the spotlight? Disgusting." and "What a catch...who's the girl?"

"Is this a joke?"

Josh's eyes, wide with disbelief and worry, stared at the screen. Fixed. He just shook his head. 

I don't know why, but I had to hug him. I moved so fast towards him and tried to wrap my arms around his huge build, but I only got about half way. Burrowing my face in his sleeve, I cried. I could feel his body tightening underneath my embrace and then slowly relax. I couldn't tell if he wanted to cry, scream, or laugh. 

"I have to make this right." he exhaled. 

"How?" I sniffled. 

"I don't know. But this isn't fucking right. Claiming I'm a rapist... it isn't true," and then suddenly his body tightened again and he broke my hold on him, spinning to grab me by the shoulders. "You know it isn't true, right? I'm an asshole, but I would never..."

I nodded back frantically. 

"Good," he said stepping back. "I'll get us out of this."

Dejected, I fell onto the couch. I grabbed the remote and clicked the TV off. I could hear Josh in the distance talking on his phone with someone. My best guess was it's his manager. I knew better than to go home at this point. Josh needed me and I couldn't face work. I'll be let go, for sure. Fucking Ian would try to prove his worth and I just can't deal with that. I heard Josh's heavy booted footsteps approaching from behind. 

"He's gonna call me back. This is some heavy shit and it's going to be a process, but he's going to try to organize an interview or something." he sighed, peering down at me. 

Suddenly, I felt a hot flash of anger surge through my entire body. It shook me hard. Why the FUCK would Josh know about this and do nothing? The paparazzi, the journalists, everything. He obviously saw them take the picture. Why would he betray me like this? 

"You..." I shot up from the couch, furiously jabbing my finger in his chest. "you fucking knew they took the picture. Why didn't you run them over, steal their camera, anything?! You knew about this whole fucking thing. Is this some scheme to make me fall for you or something?!"

"What?! NO. I didn't know what was happening, it happened so fast. You were sick and I was trying to get you home as fast as I could. The whole shitteroo was a blur, Cherry. I swear." he expressed defensively. 

I scowled at him. He seemed sincere, but I couldn't help but feel completely betrayed. 

"You think I'm trying to win your little heart?" he spat at me after a drawn out silence between us. 

"You're fucked in the head, Josh."

"You do. You do and you want the attention. Just like every other little slut I've met."

"NO!" I screamed at him. 

He drew back and gave me the most hurtful, hateful look I've ever seen on a person. My heart once again staggered in my chest as it was driven by the rage that engulfed me. 

"Get out," he winced at me. "Get your shit and get out."

I stood there and felt as though he _had_ raped me just then. Every ounce of chemistry we ever had, stripped from the cells in my body and evaporating through my tears. I racked my brain to think of what I could say to him that would hurt him the way he's hurt me, but I just drew blank after blank. He broke his lock on me and stormed to the guest room, snatching my purse and coat from the floor, marching back to me and shoving them in my arms. Pointing to the door, he stood directly in front of me. Too close. Too horribly. 

"I'll leave," I whispered heavily. "But not without my fucking phone."

His breath was hot and angry against my skin. Reaching into his pocket, he slapped it into my waiting hand. 

"Just don't..." he hesitated slightly, showing some humanity poking through his clouded eyes. "Never mind."

"Fine. Bye."

My body shot like a charged bullet past him, leaving a trail of my faint perfume and a gust of wind on Josh's chest. I grabbed the door and slammed it behind me. I don't need this. I pulled my phone out and stared down at it. Low battery. 1:23pm. Nat. 

"I'm coming over."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stared blankly at the robin's egg blue paint that chipped on the sides of her door. The numbers were brushed with some bullshit to make them look antique, but I remember picking them up with her at this all too expensive knick knack store. 13 - the most awesome combination of numbers. Everybody knows that. And as it broke away, my eyes connected to her delicate face. Her hair falling in loose curls from a messy bun on the very tippy top of her head. Her makeup from last night still intact on her fleshy profile. She only wore a very long baggy t-shirt. She was so beautiful, but no amount of beauty could fix her damage and emptiness. Looking amused, she stepped aside and allowed me to sulk my way in. She shut the door behind us and strode past me to her favourite spot on the couch.

"What a shit show."

I shot her a look that made her regret even opening her mouth. 

"Damn. You really are fucked up." she smirked, burrowing her eyes into me while she bit her nails. 

"Yes. As if you didn't already know that. Got any tequila?" I said moving towards the kitchen.

"Ya, there's the bottle you bought i-" she stopped, recalling our spontaneous trip to Mexico one weekend. I spent too much on Tequila. 

I didn't even have to ask. Grabbing two glasses and the enormous bottle, I nestled down on the other side of the couch, poured myself one, and slammed the bottle on the coffee table. I glugged it back, poured another, and stewed in it. She looked over at me with a huge eye roll and took the glass from me to take a swig. 

"Excuse me?" I remarked, looking at her with a pour-your-own-damn-glass look. She said nothing. Just smiled to herself as she handed it back. 

Some time went by before the inevitable conversation. To my surprise, she was the first one to bring it up or have any insight on the matter. 

"You know why I don't want a relationship, right?"

"No, Nat. I don't." I sighed. 

"I never told you this before, but I was molested as a child."

I lifted my head to get a read on if she was lying or not. To my surprise, she really seemed sincere. And hurt. 

"What happened?" I asked.

"I was about 10 when it happened and I had a babysitter that was about 6 years older. I had the biggest crush on her and she knew it, as well as what I can imagine was her own curiosity, that drove her to do it. But she used to drag me into my closet and..." she hesitated slightly. "Push my pants down and fondle me, kiss me forcefully, and pull my hair. It really made me a goddamn mess." 

"Jesus christ."

"I know she was practically a kid herself and driven by hormones, but I will never forgive her. I'm still a virgin." she whispered.

I stared at her and absorbed all this information. It fell like pieces of a puzzle in place. Everything was now making sense.

"Why couldn't you ever trust me? I would have never hurt you and all I ever wanted was to get close to you. I guess all of this makes sense as to why we never had sex. I always assumed it was because you weren't attracted to me or you were just into different girls. It sure as fuck came off that way." I replied, swirling a long black fingernail in my tequila. 

"I could trust you. I just don't want to fall for you. I know you have a life that works for you. You work in a sex shop, which always intimidated me. You practically ooze with personality and likability, and it made me feel worthless next to you. We never had sex because I was scared of what you would think of me." she choked out. 

"My life is really not that glamorous, Nat."

She rolled her eyes at me yet again and motioned to the TV. The stupid story that made headlines. I couldn't help but kind of laugh and through her tears, she managed a chuckle as well. I decided to comfort her because I know how hard life is and how unforgiving it can be. She didn't deserve anything she went through. Slowly, I shuffled over on the couch beside her and wrapped my arms around her, pressing my head into hers. She let everything out, sobbing into her hand. She cried and ached and we sat there for a long time. I didn't feel the need to say anything. And when she did stop, she apologized. 

"You don't need to be sorry for anything." I whispered. 

"Thank you." was all she could squeak out as she turned to face me.

Her eyes glimmered into mine and I nodded back. I was still holding her, we were still entwined, and for a split second my heart throbbed in a way it never did for her before. She stared at my lips and I slowly moved my hand up to her face, cupping the side ever so gently. Something pulled us in. Her lips flew to mine and moved in sync. I moved my hand up to her hair, releasing her bun, and wrapped the silky strands between my fingers behind her head. Her tongue slipped in and out of my mouth like a hot flame and I couldn't help but return the favour. I broke away to look at her once more before slowly lifting her top over her head. No bra. Nice. She pushed up on her knees and did the same with my green tank. Hovering above me so angelic like, she swiftly removed my bra and swooped down to nestle her lips in my neck. Fuck. My weakness. I massaged her breasts as she went to town on my neck. Groaning together, our hips thrusted in time with each other and the moistness grew quickly between my legs. I moved my one hand down to find her clit and slowly rubbed. She quivered under my touch, bringing her orgasm front and centre. It made it hard for her to continue kissing me, so she shuffled back and unbuckled my pants so she could pull them down my legs. We were both completely naked now and the heat radiating from both of us converged into a fireball between our skin. I continued on and pushed two long fingers into her pussy. She gasped and moaned with pleasure, not self conscious at all, which was great. 

"Oh fuck, baby. That feels so fucking good." she cried out. 

"Ya? You like that?" I replied, sucking her earlobe. 

She could only manage a 'Mhmm' and I continued on. We switched from 69ing to making out to finger fucking, all over her massive couch. And eventually it came down to it. Tribbing. The closest thing you could really get to sex as a lesbian, unless you're using a strap on. We faced each other and entwined our legs, pushing our pussies together. I stared at her lustfully, wanting nothing more than to make her cum. 

"You ready, sexy?" 

She nodded and I went to work. Moving up and down and side to side, we pressed against each other. Both moaning and quivering and reaching closer and closer to our orgasms. It didn't take long for her to reach hers and she broke, arching her back as her entire body stiffened across from mine. Not long after, I followed and fell back on the couch, trying to catch my breath. Holy shit. That was amazing. She moved up between my legs and laid her body along mine, resting her head on my chest. I stroked her hair and tickled the small of her back with my fingertips. We didn't need to say anything. Everything was understood. 

I lifted my head slightly to peer over the side of the couch for my purse. Pushing my hand in, I grabbed my pack of smokes, offered her one, which she refused, stuck the black cig in my mouth and inhaled deeply as I touched the flame to it. Nothing better than sex and a smoke. 

"You're good at that." she smiled after a few moments of trying to catch her breath. 

"I'm glad," I chuckled. "Wouldn't it suck if I was horrible? My first time was. Nobody should ever have a bad first time, but 99% of people do."

"True enough." she sighed back. 

We both stared at the TV, forgetting it was on this entire time. 

"What are you going to do about that?" she said. 

I shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever."

I inhaled deeply again and reached over to the coffee table to put it out in the ashtray. This sure was a shit show. And I really did not know what to do about it. I think it's good to lay low for awhile and maybe Nat will actually make me feel better. It was worth a try, I guess. Out of anger, I pulled my hand up to the TV and thrusted a long middle finger at it. 

"Fuck him." I protested.

She smiled at the TV and flipped it off too. 

"Ya, fuck him."

 

 

 

 


End file.
